<p>Hi everyone,
I am right now a freshman in the University of Michigan college of engineering. I did not do that well in my first semester and got a GPA of 2.99 not good by any means. I was wondering how important GPA is in terms of getting a job later on and such. Any tips on doing stuff in college to increase my marketability and improving resume would help too so that my skills beyonf GPA is seen.
Thanks</p>
<p>i heard you cant get a job unless you have at least a 3.0 GPA. no company in its right mind would give you an internship.</p>
<p>and what engineering specialty are you doing? my friend told me that the first year of engineering is suppose to be <em>easy</em> since its ALL just Math and Physics courses.</p>
<p>thinking of doing EE possibly.</p>
<p>Many engineering students with GPAs less than 3.0 get jobs and internships, but they have to work harder for it. A low GPA can be a disadvantage, but it is not impossible to find a job or internship.</p>
<p>no they wouldn't. its company policy. like i said, NO COMPANY HIRES Anyone with below a 3.0 gpa EVER.</p>
<p>I have seen companies hire people with GPAs below 3.0.</p>
<p>On a side note, just round yours up to 3.0.</p>
<p>believe it or not, the average gpa in engineering at michigan is around 2.8 but they are right, u goto the career fairs and u'll find out that most companies require minimum 3.0, u got plenty of time to get it up. gpa is really important for engineers. but, trust me, u at michigan, there are companies that will pay u 50k a year as long as you graduate. people from michigan engineering shouldn't be worried about getting jobs, u might not get the job u want tho.</p>
<p>zerox, please report to your TTT.</p>
<p>hey jeffl, which major are u at U of M COE? How are the classes in ur major?</p>
<p>i'm mechanical, they are mostly good, i hate the manufacturing classes tho. too much group work.</p>
<p>NOT true at ALL. I am graduating in May w/ an EE and Econ degree from Maryland, and I was able to get 25+ interviews along with a handful of offers...all with a Cum. GPA of 2.6. Here's how I did it, and if you have a low gpa you can model it to help cover your low gpa, perhaps even play the low gpa to your advantage:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>Start interning ASAP, and do it every summer. First couple of years, pay doesn't matter at ALL, as long as you find something useful and able to put on your resume. I did about 7-8 internships throughout college, and each one was slowly better than the previous one.</p></li>
<li><p>Get your study habits straight and try hard to have a slow, but steady increase in your gpa. If you can do this, you can even use overcoming adversity as a way to play to your advantage at interviews.</p></li>
<li><p>Get involved with teamwork and leadership opportunities. Almost every interview I have been in I had to explain some sort of teamwork/leadership experience that i've have involved in.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>-If you can really load up on <em>positive</em> extracurricular activies and have awesome work experience, you can afford not putting your gpa on resume and wait until the employer ask you at 1st round interviews. Be honest when they ask you though, if you answer well most employers are sympathetic (there are exceptions though). The employers definately know how hard engineering can get.</p>
<p>With all these being said, there are still some jobs out there that will not recruit you unless you have a 3.0+ gpa..... But the best entry level jobs out there want a well rounded person, not just someone with a shiny gpa.</p>
<p>jeffl....why are we on here? I dunno why I keep on coming back, i guess it's to procrastinate so I don't have to study for midterms.</p>
<p>I have a question to you U Mich people. I am sure you have many international students in engineering right? So do they get jobs easily through these fairs if they have a good GPA? Is the process of them getti g a job different ? Thanks!</p>
<p>frankly, i think i'm here because I made a lot of mistakes in my college career thus far, and I realize by procrastinating, i'm making it worse. I need to seriously study some thermo.</p>
<p>as to the question about international, its really a lot harder for them to get a job, especially if they want to work in the US. i don't know the specifics, but i know its definitely a lot harder.</p>
<p>from what I heard, thermo's not that bad. When you break it down, its just drilling the first and second laws and understanding different flow processes. I heard that Fluids and Heat transfer, as well as Vibrations Control and Electronics are the meat of hard classes in ME....every engineering major there's that 1 or 2 classes to really watch out for.</p>
<p>would you rather:
a) get a 3.0 GPA with internships and research experience
b) get a 3.7 GPA with minimal involvement in school as you were too busy getting good grades.</p>
<p>I would be the student with a 3.0 GPA.</p>
<p>Nomad, I think US companies like international engineering students because they are hard-working, and generally have better discipline. Plus there is a shortage of engineers in the US now, engineering apps have dropped significantly in recent years. Many american students don't want to pursue engineering, opening the doors for international engineers specially those who have studied at american colleges.</p>
<p>This thread interests me because my son was awarded a 10K annual scholarship which is tied to maintaining a 3.2 GPA. I am concerned that that GPA would be very hard to maintain for a electrical engineering major.</p>
<p>Any similiar concerns/comments?</p>
<p>yeah i have to maintain a 3.0GPA at Rice to continue receiving a 50% scholarship for all my four year at Rice...</p>
<p>I've seen a lot of companies hire the 2.8 with lots of activites and experience over the 3.6 with little else on their resume. It's important, but don't think a poor GPA means you have no chance.</p>
<p>what is considered a good GPA to enter a graduate engineering school?</p>